Nintendo’s Mario Kart 9 is in development and it could be teased this year, according to games analyst Dr. Serkan Toto of Kantan Games.
In an article released by Gamesindustry.biz earlier this week, several games analysts made predictions for 2022 and reflected on those they made from 2021. Toto commented on what he thought would happen with Nintendo in 2022 in one of his predictions.
“I am aware Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still selling very well on the Nintendo Switch,” Toto told Gamesindustry.biz. “But Mario Kart 9 is in active development (and comes with a new twist) and Nintendo could tease it this year.”
There’s no indication on what the new twist on the game could be, but Nintendo has historically added new game mechanics to new iterations of Mario Kart, such as Mario Kart 8‘s anti-gravity sections. The idea of a new twist to the game has created a mass amount of speculation on social media, with fans trying to guess what might be added.
Toto also mentioned that he predicted a new mobile game will be released in the form of an “established IP arriving on smart devices again.” He mentions Mario Kart Tour, which launched on mobile devices in 2019, and Nintendo’s silence on the mobile market since then. With other Nintendo franchises doing well on mobile such as Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom, it would be fitting for Nintendo to explore other franchises on mobile devices.
As for when either game will be released, Toto mentioned the industry will see fewer delays, but only because developers and publishers are going to be more cautious when revealing release dates.
“I am hearing now that studios everywhere are getting a lot more cautious when it comes to release dates for the big titles and are getting better at gauging the effects of the pandemic on their production,” Toto said. He suspects there will be more “robust” pipelines and as more studios learn about their own team’s abilities in the face of a pandemic.
